Attachment for harness.



PATENTED MAY 7, 1907.

W. A. OBRYAN.

ATTACHMENT FOR HARNESS.

APPLIOATION FILED 00115, 1906. A

. Int/6722502;

Jiiofneys.

WILLIAM A. OBRYAN, OF PHILPOT, KENTUCKY.

ATTACHMENT FOR HARNESS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

iatenteci May '7, 1907.

Application filed October 15, 1906. Serial No. 339,062.

To all whmn it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM A. OBRYAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philpot, in the county of Daviess and State of Kentucky, have invented an Attachment for Harness, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is an improvement in harness, and relates more especially tothe provision of an attachment to be used in connection with certain parts of the harness to facilitate the operation of hitching and unhitching a horse from the vehicle.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a simple and effective separable device or coupling for connecting the tug and draw-back straps of a harness to each other and to the vehicle in such manner that the said device or coupling may be readily separated to detach the harness from its connection with the vehicle and thereby quickly and conveniently unhitch the horse.

With this primary object in View the invention consists of a coupling device comprising two parts or castings detachably connected to each other by a sliding pintle, in connection with spring-actuated means for operating the pintle; one of said parts or castings being attached to tug and draw-back straps forming part of the harness, and the other part or casting attached to tug and draw-back straps which are connected to the vehicle, whereby the harness may be readily and conveniently detached from the vehicle by simply separating the parts of the coupling, all as Wlll be hereinafter fully described and specifically set forth in the appended claim.

In the accompanying drawings, which form a art of this specification: Figure 1 is a side e evation of my improved coupling device for harness, the parts being connected and the dotted lines showing the manner of shifting the pintle. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the device. Fig. 3 is a plan view, showing the parts of the device separated. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view through the device, with the parts connected.

Like numerals of reference indicate like parts in all the figures of the drawings.

In carrying out my invention the coupling is constructed of two parts, 1 and 2, the part or casting 1 being adapted for connection thereto of the tug and draw-back stra s which form part of the harness proper, whi e the part or casting 2 is adapted for attachment to the tug and draw-back straps which are connected to the vehicle. The part or casting 1 is therefore provided with plates 3 between which the tug-strap is secured, and with a buckle 4 extending at an obtuse angle from the lates, as shown, and to which the draw-bac strap is adjustably connected, the intermediate portion of the casting being formed into an eye 5.

The part or casting 2 is shaped to provide plates 8, similar to the plates 3, and a second pair of plates 9, the latter being disposed horizontally or at right angles to the disposition of the plates 8 when the parts are connected. The plates 8 are adapted to'receive and secure the tug-strap which is connected to the whiffietree of the vehicle, while the plates 9 form the means of securing to the coupling the draw-back strap which is connected to the shafts of the vehicle.

The part or casting 2 is formed intermediate the plates 8 and 9 with ears 10, between which the eye 5 is adapted to be inserted for connecting the casting 1 thereto, said ears being pierced on a line with the hole in the eye to receive a slidable pintle 11, the latter being carried by a plate 12 by which it may be moved out of engagement with the eye for detachably connecting the parts or castings together. The plate 12 is attached to a push-bar 13, which extends through the casting 2 and is actuated by a spring 14 that serves to normally hold the plate against the casting with the pintle in engagement with the eye of the casting 1, to thereby lock the parts together. The opening to receive the push-bar is enlarged to accommodate the spring, and the latter is interposed between the upper end of the enlarged portion of the opening and a shoulder 15 on the push-bar. From this it will be readily seen that when the push-bar is pressed upward against the action of the spring it will move the plate 12 away from the casting and slide the pintle 11 out of engagement with the eye 5, thus permitting the casting 1 to be disconnected from the cast in 2.

2111 the plates 8, 8 and 9 are provided with holes 6 to receive rivets for connecting the straps thereto, but other means of attachment may be employed.

As heretofore explained, the casting or part 1 is attached to the tug and draw-back straps forming part of the harness proper, and therefore forms practically a part of the harness which is secured on the horse, while the part or casting 2 is attached to the tug and draw-back straps which are connected directly to the vehicle, and therefore practically forms part of the said vehicle.- Now, when the castings or parts 1 and 2 are connected by the pintle the horse is securely hitched to the vehicle; so that in hitching up a horse it is only necessary to back him into the shafts and connect the parts of the couplings together; it being understood, of course, that couplings are arranged for each shaft, or two employed for every set of harness. When it is desired to unhitch the horse it is only necessary to move the pintle out of engage- 'ment with the eye, by pressing the push-bar 13, thus disconnecting the parts of the coupling and detaching both the tug and drawback straps.

Though I have described the parts of the device as made of ordinary castings I also purpose to make them of drop forgings, or in any other manner and of any suitable material.

The buckle 4 permits the breeching or draw-back strap to be adjustably connected tothe coupling device, and for the purpose of making this connection more secure the said buckle is provided in addition to the usual stud 7 with a stud or pin 7 the outer end of which latter is hooked or bent. This hooked pin not only holds the end of the breeching or draw-back strap close up against the casting,but also distributes the strain on the strap to the two points 7 and 7 In some instances, however, I may provide other means for adjusting the draw-back strap and form the part 4 in a manner similar to the parts or connections 3, 8 and 9. nor changes may be made without departing from the invention as set forth in the following claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

A coupling device for harness, consisting of two parts or castings, one comprising attaching plates and a buckle with an intermediate eye, and the other comprising attaching plates at its ends with a pair of apertured ears interposed between them and with which ears the eye of the other part or casting engages, a pintle slidably engaging the ears, a plate carrying said pintle, and a spring actuated pushbar mounted in one of the parts or castings andconnected to the plate for moving the same to disconnect the pintle from the eye, substantially as herein shown and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM A. OBRYAN.

Witnesses F. A. RoBY, JAS. A. TURNER.

Other though mi- 

